Resources

• How does this work?
• How long does it take to get started?

• What are your core capabilities?
• What is your development methodology?
• How much experience do you have?

• You mention a Risk Free Quality Guarantee, how do you do this?
• What if something goes wrong?
• How do you ensure developer credibility?
• Can I define and enforce our coding standards on your developers?

• Who owns the rights to the source coding?
• Will I be able to access code during the development cycle? If so what version control method would you use to share the code?
• How do you ensure client confidentiality?

• You mention that your prices are the same or less than hiring employees, what are your prices like?
• How do I make payments?
• Are there any additional costs?
• Do you offer any discount for prolonged service?

• Do the developers work on my time zone?
• Where is my developer located?
• How do I communicate with my developer?
• Will I receive daily progress reports that outline the outstanding and completed work?

GENERAL:

1. How does this work?

You'll find the head office of Small Planet Software International located in Calgary, AB. Canada. Our satellite office is located in Islamabad, Pakistan and from these offices we provide risk free software outsourcing to growing Western Canadian software development firms.

You have two points of contact; your Account Executive here in Calgary to oversee your account and offer support where required and your Senior Software Executive on location to delegate to and manage your developer.

This dual headed approach offers you the quality guarantee, security and peace of mind of dealing with a locally based firm, with the instant availability and enormous talent pool of an offshore location.

We offer dedicated development, per project outsourcing or part time, on demand development. Contact Us to book a consultation.

2. How long does it take to get started?

We have developers ready to start right away, so all that remains is an assessment of your needs and review of your specifications & protocol to determine a package that would work best for you.

We recommend a face to face meeting to get started, or if you prefer you can fill out our RFP form here.

CAPABILITIES:

1. What are your core capabilities?

Our ability to adapt to the needs of our clients is our most valuable capability; however, the following technologies are where we excel.

1. Database:
   • MS SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle and MS Access

1. Programming Languages:
   • Web Application: ASP.NET using(C# or VB.NET), AJAX, VB Script, Java Script, ASP, PHP, Perl, MCML (Media Center Markup Language), XML, HTML, J2EE technology.

1. Desktop Applications:
   • C#, C++, VB.NET, VB (6.0, 5.0, 4.0), Java, Crystal Reports, XML
   • OOAD Tools: Rational, Visio, UML

1. Development Tools: MS Visual Studio 2003 and 2005
   • Graphic Tools: Adobe Photoshop, Macromedia FlashMX, Dream Weaver MX, Corel Draw
   • Source Control: VSS

• Servers: Advanced server technology like Apache, IIS

2. What is your development methodology?

Generally our development projects follow an extreme software development approach. Our project development processes are aimed at delivering the maximum benefit to our customers, so if you would prefer a different method, just let us know.

3. How much experience do you have?

Over 4 years serving Calgary businesses. Our Senior Software Executive has over 12 years experience and a Masters in Computer Engineering, each of our junior developers have approx. 3 years experience. View Past Projects.

QUALITY:

1. You mention a Risk Free Quality Guarantee, how do you do this?

We offer a money back guarantee, if after 5 business days you aren’t completely satisfied your money is refunded no questions asked.

2: What if something goes wrong?

One of the great benefits of an almost 24 hour workforce is that there is almost always someone available to help you. From 9am-5pm MST your Calgary based account executive is available and from 9pm-5am MST the Senior Software Executive is available. We can arrange 24 hour support during critical phases of a project, such as a launch.

3: How do you ensure developer credibility?

Employees are recruited into the organization through our rigorous evaluation of both their capability and integrity. All the developers who will be involved in the projects sign confidentiality agreements and non competition agreements with Small Planet Software International. In addition each developer is supervised and coached by their Team Lead and the Senior Software Executive, ensuring any problems are caught before the project is submitted to you. View Sample Resumes.

4: Can I define and enforce our coding standards on your developers?

Our developers follow our own coding and documenting standards, but should you have any additional standards or you would like them to follow simply advise us before the project begins. We will review your materials and get back to you confirming we understand and will adhere to your requirements and incorporate it into your contract.

SECURITY:

1: Who owns the rights to the source coding?

You do.

2. Will I be able to access code during the development cycle? If so what version control method would you use to share the code?

If you are hiring a dedicated team, on a contract basis, we can either arrange for hosting the Version Control System (VSS) on your server or give you access to our VSS server.

If we work on a per project arrangement, you will have access to the code once the final payment is made. Until then we will host the solution on our server for your review.

3. How do you ensure client confidentiality?

We are committed to the security and confidentiality of the information that you share with us. Our standard contract has stringent Non- Disclosure and Confidentiality Clauses, and in most cases we can sign your NDA and any other agreements promptly. Furthermore, we do not publish details regarding our client projects without prior permission from you. If your organization has specific security or privacy protocol you would like us to follow, simply let us know, we would be happy to oblige.

PRICING

1. You mention that your prices are the same or less than hiring employees, what are your prices like?

We charge market rates for developers, with discounts for longer contracts.

You benefit by:

• Saving on advertising costs to attract new employees.
• Saving on the high costs of employee turnover.
• Paying very little to train our highly adaptable team.
• Saving on paying CPP/EI, Benefits, or supervising costs.
• Saving on infrastructure costs.

Our pricing depends on the length of contract and the amount of time per month you require a developer. We can also arrange per project rates. Please Contact Us for details, or view our cost comparison.

2: How do I make payments?

You will be invoiced and we ask that you provide us with a cheque or credit card payment via PayPal. All payments are in Canadian dollars.

3. Are there any additional costs?

There are no hidden fees, the only other costs that you would have to bear would be the cost of any third party software that you would have us purchase for your project.
We do not charge for the standard tools of our trade such as BaseCamp, Dreamweaver, Flash, MS Visual Studio or Visio. However, if there is any more specific tool you would like us to use, we may have to bill you for the same. In such cases, we will discuss this with you and get approval first.

4: Do you offer any discount for prolonged service?

Yes, typically the longer the contract the bigger the discount. Please Contact Us for details.

COMMUNICATION:

1. Do the developers work on my time zone?

At the initial stages of each contract, the developer will be working during your business hours so you can gain trust and familiarity with them. After this phase is complete, the developer would be working on his or her time zone. This situation enables you to benefit from the time zone difference, as often work assigned by 5pm can done by 9am.

2. Where is my developer located?

We work on a system that provides service from areas where skilled labor is underemployed, so it could be anywhere in the world, however right now we are focused on providing service from our satellite office in Islamabad, Pakistan.

3: How do I communicate with my developer?

By email, instant messenger, Webcam, telephone and BaseCamp project management service.

4. Will I receive daily progress reports that outline the outstanding and completed work?

You will receive informal reporting which include replying to emails or updates on the status of specific requests. Formal reporting is provided weekly and is broken down by hour.